That might be the motto of David Sheegog, an architect who’s spent nearly 20 years building a miniature replica of the Disneyland railroad in his small Anaheim Hills backyard.

In 1998, he came up with the idea of building a so-called “garden railroad” behind his house after visiting a toy store for his nephew and examining a Thomas the Tank Engine playset.

“We bought this house in 1994 and the yard wasn’t really landscaped,” Sheegog said. “I wanted to design something for the backyard.”

Later, he realized it would be fun to replicate the beloved Disneyland Railroad that was one of founder Walt Disney’s favorites.

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad features a train station and Haunted Mansion at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad features a train station, Sleeping Beauty Castle and Haunted Mansion at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad cruises through Big Thunder Mountain at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad includes a skyway with original-style round buckets at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature railroad features Disneyland-inspired engines and pelicans from Finding Nemo at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. Sheegog has been working on his railroad for 20 years. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad features a train station, and replica engines at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Visitors check out David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Black Pearl, from Pirates of the Caribbean, floats along architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A Casey Jr. Circus Train and replica-Disneyland Railroad engine heads through Big Thunder Mountain at architect David Sheegog’s miniature railroad at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad includes a model of the Conques, Belle’s hometown and Beast’s Castle from “Beauty and the Beast”, at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s adjusts a miniature Disneyland Railroad engine at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Visitors check out David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Visitors check out David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad features a train station, Sleeping Beauty Castle and Haunted Mansion at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A Moana scene is part of architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad includes a model of the Conques,Belle’s hometown in “Beauty and the Beast”, at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland railroad includes a skyway with original-style round buckets at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A model of an Anaheim bus stop with a trolly greets visitors to David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A scene from the movie Brave sits along the tracks at David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Visitors check out David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Hannah Newman, 3, and her brother, Benjamin Newman, 6, check out the trains at David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog greets visitors to his miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad train station at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Visitors check out David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Lightning McQueen and Sally hang out on the rocks of David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A visitors checks out David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad includes a model of the Conques, Belle’s hometown and Beast’s Castle from “Beauty and the Beast”, at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Architect David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad features a train station, Sleeping Beauty Castle and Haunted Mansion at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A miniature engine chugs along the tracks at David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A miniature engine chugs along the tracks at David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jon Chaplin, of Anaheim, takes a picture of David Sheegog’s miniature Disneyland Railroad during an open house at his home in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

As an architect, he was accustomed to planning projects out in advance, and asked his wife Frances if he could take over their backyard. She agreed, as long as there was still room for their (now-grown) children to play in the middle.

“I built a model of the whole thing that took up our dining room for a year,” Sheegog recalled. “We had to eat in the kitchen.”

He used a commercially produced model train set, calling it the Castle Peak and Thunder Railroad, but modified it to create detailed miniatures of all five real Disneyland locomotives, down to matching the paint samples with the actual trains.

He began construction in 1999 and showed it off to his friends in 2000. Until 10 years ago, he built everything in his garage workshop, with a table saw, a bandsaw and a belt sander. Then, he bought a 3D printer and kept on going.

The first miniatures were built in wood though nowadays he has them custom made in resin to be more durable. Over the years, he’s spent countless hours searching online for Disney miniature figurines from “some mom who’s cleaning out a junk drawer.”

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